Skystriker: seeking Aspects

I looked around, making a mental sweep of the area. “So, I’m back again am I? I wonder if I’m outside the Vastwood or if I’m outside the gateway nexus.” My question was answered a moment later, as a copy of me appeared, running to approximately where I stood. I looked at the sun. And in five seconds the gate will open. It did, just as I had remembered it would. Before I walked through, followed my dream self I looked back at the red flames and indistinct shapes that appeared at the top of the hill. I smiled grimly. I was right then. I really did have a mob on my tail right then. I stepped through the gateway, watching as my memories played by. Me running through the capitol, looking about in amazement at everything. I chuckled at my own exclamation, which suddenly seemed humorous. “How can these people live so close together? It’s stifling!” Looking back, I realized that they had to live together. These people had long ago grown weak, unable to survive the wilderness I was used to. I shook my head as my memory ran on. In a moment I would run into the castle guard, who would in turn take me to the king, where I would be drafted into service as a member of the talent research team. I glared at the castle, wishing that I could return to my world just long enough to burn the capitol down, scatter the ashes, and hunt down that backstabbing, spineless no good worm of a king and show him what true power was. Right before I killed him. I looked down on my dream world counterpart, watching as he was led to the castle. I followed, not by any direct wish of my own, but because that was what my memories showed.

“I was summoned by the king.” I looked at the guards I was currently conversing with. One wore steel chain armor, plain and unadorned. The other wore plate armor with a white lion emblazoned on the chest plate, the symbol of the king. The plate fellow nodded and gestured for me to follow. I watched as my dream self (or was I the dream?) followed after him. I drifted along, watching, waiting for morning to come. I thought about what Path I would take on my trek through the Everfree. The guards and the other me walked in the door, I drifted through. I wondered what kinds of creatures I would run into on my journey, and what kinds of abilities they would have. I wondered if I would find a creature like the displacers I had seen once, while working on our talent gate. Creatures that could teleport short distances at will, with high agility, speed, and strength. The castle halls seemed narrow and dangerous, as though they wanted nothing more than to banish the outsider. But who is the outsider? The person who lives among the wild things, in harmony with the stones and plants around them, or those who bend the world around them to their wills, who this place was built for? I shrugged. Waxing philosophical wasn’t going to help me wake up faster, though perhaps it was better than reliving my memories.

The throne room doors opened and I looked at the king, and ice cold fury raced through my veins. I could almost feel it replacing my blood. I wondered what that would result in if this wasn’t a dream. I probably wouldn’t be good, regardless as to what else it would result in. It would likely result in a lengthy adrenaline rush followed by death, which would be an unfortunate occurrence. The king spoke, words that I didn’t hear, the guards responded, I spoke, the king droned on. I heard none of it, long since having lost myself in the realm of theoretical talent application and philosophy.

The first rule of Aspect casting stands as follows: through study of any target, I can gain a lesser version of that targets powers and strengths. The second rule then places a limitation on what is wise to use: All aspects drain an amount of energy form the caster according to what kind of aspect they are. The farther from the caster that they are, the more energy they drain. According to this, if I cast another creature, it will drain energy at an easily sustainable rate, given that they share multiple categories with me: living, mobile, self controlled, and self sustained. On the other hand, a stone would drain far more energy than is readily accessible, given that they share no categories with me. Following these two rules, I could gain aspects through any form of study I can imagine, assuming that the creature already does exist.

The droning ended and a scientist came in. He spoke for a bit, using large words, at the time they were likely meant to instill some level of awe at his intellect, but I knew exactly what he was saying, every word was crafted, but they weren’t his words. That much was obvious. I turned back to my internal musing as my dream self listened.

Thus, I could theoretically take an aspect of something I already knew well, but no longer can find, perhaps because of extinction of the species. Assuming I remember it well enough, I would be able to recreate it enough to gain its aspect.

I returned to watching my dreams. I was arguing with the king from the looks of things, which meant that I’d seen through the kings plot at this point and the only thing preventing me from jumping on him and gutting the fat slob was the fact that I was flanked by two guards, who, if whoever was in charge of hiring them possessed even half a brain, would be a brute and either a blinker or a dasher. He yelled back, and eventually I followed the scientist, spitting venom the entire way. I chucked at how apt the simile would have been had I possessed my talent then. My favorite pet had been a small lizard whose primary defense mechanics were camouflage and spitting venom at the offender, resulting in painful acid burns and a paralyzing venom coursing through their body.

I could try gaining its aspect. What could it hurt? I began envisioning the small lizard, standing on one of the support beams in my old home, scales changing color to mimic the wood it was on as the door opened. The little thing returned to normal color as it recognized me, and returned to whatever business it was up to before I had entered. I remembered the time I had seen one spitting venom at a bird that had been trying to get into the nest. I recreated that time in my mind, studying it closely. There was the bird, diving in to peck at the lizard again, to drive it away from the nest, there was the lizard, standing on the nest, staring down the bird. One moment it was motionless, the next it had uncoiled and stood upright, striking out like a snake, mouth open, as a silvery stream flew at the bird. A moment later, the bird fell, crying out in pain before it hit the ground and was silenced, shattering the image.